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Ruslan Sirota: A Journey Away
Ruslan Sirota would bristle against the classification of “pianist," “multi-instrumentalist," or “composer." He is, of course, all of these things... which is precisely the point. Raised on the songs of the Soviet and nurtured by the fusion alumni of the 1960s, Sirota has thus far navigated his professional career with an acute sense of sound, unencumbered by futile terminology. This disregard for straitjacketing semantics extends from his musical tastes to his job description. He casts such inhibitors aside in the ...
read moreAdam Berenson: Every Beginning Is A Sequel
Pianist/keyboardist/composer Adam Berenson--across more than twenty recordings--offers incontrovertible evidence that talent surpasses an affinity for category. He is equally at home with jazz, electronica, blues, or a string quartet. On his previous , fully-acoustic album, Stringent and Sempiternal (Dream Works, 2019) Berenson went in an unusual direction (for him), covering works of Miles Davis, Bud Powell, Wayne Shorter, Thelonious Monk, and Pat Metheny. His new solo box set Every Beginning Is A Sequel is an ambitious collection of electronic music ...
read moreNicolas Meier World Group: Peaceful
London-based Swiss guitarist Nicolas Meier (heard mainly on nylon string guitar here) leads his World Group quartet in a program of his compositions. The group is well named, as Meier takes inspiration from all over the world; Turkish music, Middle Eastern music, samba, flamenco and tango all mix with jazz in this sound. “Besiktas Cafe" opens the set with a sprightly waltz, Meier executing the first of many technically difficult passages with a smile and a dance step. ...
read moreMy Dear Acquaintance - A Happy New Year
My last broadcast of the decade included several women-penned songs for New Years Eve, with new releases by Boogaloo Joe Jones, Kris Davis and Cathy Segal-Garcia, plus birthday shout outs to Cab Calloway, Una Mae Carlisle, Chris McNulty, Katie Bull, Annie Lennox and Janice Friedman, among others. Also remembering those artists lost in 2019 with a special nod to Allee Willis (pictured) in the second hour. Playlist Fostina Dixon “Thank You" from Vertical Alignment (Self released) 00:00 Dr. ...
read moreIvo Perelman: Live in Nuremberg
The captivating and tense Live In Nuremberg is an improvised duet between saxophonist Ivo Perelman and pianist Matthew Shipp captured on June 24, 2019, at the Kulturwerkstatt Auf AEG, during the German “The Art of Improvisation" festival. In a way it is the culmination of their collaboration that spans a quarter of a century and two dozen releases. The entire album consists of a single, almost an hour long, track plus a short encore, both interpreted with breathtaking energy and ...
read moreChristmas In My Soul
Includes more Christmas songs penned by women, with holiday recordings by Dave Stryker, Laila Biali, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Rebecca Angel, plus new releases by Youn Sun Nah, Chloe Perrier, Fostina Dixon, and Elena Gilliam, with birthday shout outs to Bob Dorough, Sue Maskaleris, Diane Schuur, Sean Harkness, Edith Piaf, Camille Thurman and Kaylé Brecher, among others. Playlist Dave Stryker “This Christmas" from Eight Track Christmas (Strikezone Records) 00:00 Deanna Witkowski “Love Came Down" ...
read moreOstrava Days 2019
Ostrava Days Various Venues Ostrava Czech Republic August 22-31, 2019 The biennial Ostrava Days festival rolled around again, and there's nothing quite like a once-every-two-years event to make time appear to flow even faster than normal. As a moderne composition festival, it is difficult to accurately fix its stylistic placement, although there are returning concerns with free improvisation, electronics, minimalism, vocal music, performance art, marathon presentations and site-specific events. We ...
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Contest Giveaway
ELIGIBLE WINNERS: 1 | DAYS REMAINING: 23
Prize: GroundUP Music Festival Tickets
Enjoy Three Days on the Beach with Snarky Puppy, Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band, Lettuce, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Lila Downs, Michael McDonald Acoustic Quartet, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Flor de Toloache and more—February 14-16, 2020 at the North Beach Bandshell in Miami, FL.
The winner receives a 3-day pass for two. Excludes travel or lodging.
Acclaimed by the New York Times as one of the “Top 10 Definitive Moments of the Decade in Jazz Music,” GroundUP goes beyond the typical festival experience, breaking down the barriers between audience and artists...
